


There's No Such Thing As Justice

by Jeageractive



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Idk where this is going so far, M/M, implications of abuse, injuries, starts off with kinda fatherly levi to eren
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-12
Updated: 2014-05-08
Packaged: 2018-01-15 11:18:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 10,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1302943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jeageractive/pseuds/Jeageractive
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Levi never gave a second glance at the Juvenile Center a few steps away from his house, but after his presence is requested there, he sees something he probably wasn't supposed to.</p><p>Since it was his duty to not be a heartless bastard, especially when that shitty supervisor had underhanded bullshit written all over him, he had to do something about a certain mistreated brat.</p><p>It kinda sucked being a cop, really.</p><p>(Hiatus)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was initially supposed to be much more of Levi being fatherly to a criminal brat and showing him it was better to not just stab people if they pissed you off...
> 
> But I have no stable decisions.

Levi's life was nothing out of the ordinary, a mere police officer that was single and somewhat antisocial.

His time was mostly consumed by work, cleaning, and a few friends that have pretty much forced their way into his life, though he wasn't complaining.

He lived in a suburban area with a closely knit neighborhood and a calm atmosphere, not much bound to disturb his life out of work. Not even the Juvenile center around the curb.

Until his presence was requested at said Juvenile center, that is. The kids were to receive some "inspiring" words from him about his job and other careers, encouraging them to seek out a more bright future once they were out of the detention center. Now, key word there, inspiring. Levi and inspiring just don't go together. He was going to be blunt, to say the least, and completely unfitting for the job in every aspect.But he was doomed to this presentation no matter how hard he resisted, seeing as Erwin had set his mind to it.

So here Levi was, reluctantly padding up the steps of the Juvenile center, laptop bag slung over his uniform clad body. After being permitted inside, he was led into a moderate sized atrium where rows of kids ranging from eight to seventeen were seated, and he briefly wondered why the younger kids had to listen to him ramble, seeing as the information he was providing didn't concern them at this point.

He shrugged the thought off and finished setting his things up, and was about to begin the presentation when a noise from the building's main doors caught his attention.

A boy was caught in the grasp of one of the supervisors, who was jostling his arm roughly and hissing something in his face,before he was gruffly shoved in the direction of the atrium, barely catching himself a step away from falling.

Levi frowned deeply at that , and to his dismay he seemed to be the only one who noticed the display in the atrium. His eyes followed the flushed looking boy as he entered, making a mental note to talk to Erwin about this matter later.

To his surprise, the kids actually seemed intrigued by the presentation, even though Levi didn't cover up the difficulties and flaws of each career. By the time he was finished, they still had another fifteen minutes to question or just talk to Levi. He tried to be brief with the overexcited brats who had some pretty impressive questions, soon noticing the boy from earlier sitting aside with a sharp eyed girl and a small blond with a bowl cut, and he decided to take the kid's name just in case he needed to specify what he witnessed.

The trio quieted down when they saw him approaching, and he nodded at them in greeting, before pulling out a small notepad and pen. Now that he was up close, he noticed the purple hued flesh around the boy's eye that was easily covered by his brown bangs, confirming his suspicions.

"What's your name?" He asked, flipping to a fresh page.

The boy blinked at that."Me?"

"Yes."

"Why?" he asked, biting his lip as a look of worry dawned upon his face.

Levi mulled over how he was going to answer that for a second."For data collecting purposes, mostly." 

His expression eased a little. "Eren Jaeger, sir." Why is it that brats instantly agree to shit they don't understand?

Levi scrawled that down on the paper. "Age?"

"Thirteen."

Levi closed the notebook and murmured a 'thank you.' before checking the time and seeing that the session was over. He packed his things and headed out, and the supervisor from earlier bid him goodbye at the door.

Levi gave the beady eyed man a cold glare as he brushed past him, knowing full well that a new chapter of headache was to begin as soon as the information was layed out in front of Erwin. But not like he was heartless enough to leave a boy with no power and obvious mistreatment going on.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whut am i doing OTL

"Lieutenant Rivaille, I think you're overreacting." Erwin stated professionally, folding his hands on top of his desk.

Levi stared at him with disbelief."The kid was manhandled in front of my eyes, and bruised too. I'm reacting like anyone else in my position would."

Erwin sighed, rubbing at his eyes tiredly. They've been arguing about this for the past fifteen minutes, and he knew this was going in Levi's favor soon.

"It's more likely that he'd gotten into a fight with another boy. A very common occurrence in a place like a YDC. And you said that it was only that one child, so why would a supervisor target him only?"

"That's exactly why I want to investigate into this.You can't just let it go because you think it's petty. How the hell did you make it to Police Captain with this shitty decision making, anyway?"

"The same way you're here now." The raven swiftly chucked a pen at his head and Erwin dodged.

"That's a criminal offense." the blond threatened playfully. This unimpressed man was the only one who dared be this bold with him.

"You are a criminal offense. I want that warrant, Erwin. And you will bring it to me. In a golden envelope."

"It's usually brown." 

Levi tsked."Rhetorical devices, you old man. Anyways, the warrant."

Erwin paused for a moment in thought. "A search warrant?"

"Yeah." Levi leaned back in his chair, crossing one leg over the other."And and arrest warrant."

"That's not entirely necessary."

"God, Erwin-"

"It could be done."

He received a piercing glare at that, and chuckled in defeat."It will."

***************************************************************  
They were sitting out in the yard, both Armin and Eren, quiet as each were deep in their own thoughts, mindlessly staring at the wired fence some distance away. It was a little windy and cold, not a biting cold, but one that soothed and fit Eren's naturally hotter body temperature. Heavy, gray clouds were rolling by, promising rain. Rain would be nice. 

"Why didn't you tell him?" Armin interrupted the silence after a while, although barely above a whisper.

"They're all the same." The brunet murmured,eyes still distant.

"He took your name." 

The boy beside him shrugged."So? He won't do anything."

Armin sighed, tucking some blond strands of hair behind his ear."I hope you're wrong about him."

Eren didn't say anything, because he was honestly tired of hearing about some non existent hope. He had fought once, with every ounce of his being, but he got tired of fighting for something unattainable. He gave up on hoping, too,because even if he was still young and unable to comprehend the world in as much depth, he's seen enough to know that there's not much to hope for in his circumstances. 

Armin began believing that indeed nothing was going to change after a week passed by normally, and Eren hadn't doubted it from the beginning. Dawk had been a bit jumpy and guarded a few days after the presentation, but went lax soon enough and returned to indulging in his sick little game with Eren.

His blond best friend spent countless nights crying as he patched him up every time it happened, and Eren would hug him and tell him that it was alright. But it wasn't. It never was.

And still none of the guards or admins noticed. Either that, or they were choosing to ignore it.

One more encounter occurred, by far the worst and most terrifying of them all. 

Eren was just done washing his hands in the washroom and was drying them with some paper towels when his eyes caught a figure in the mirror,and he paused, jaw clenching and heart racing in a terrible feeling of fear.

***************************************************************

 

Levi all but threw the warrants at the administrator upon entering the main office, before strolling passed security, a team of six officers following behind. The male's side of the Juvy seemed to be divided into four sectors from the atrium, so Levi sent two cops for each sector and took one of his own, knowing that the chances of finding solid evidence was pretty slim, but hoping to get the kid's to clue them on something. He passed by a series of hallways with similar doors, a kitchen, another office. A few boys were mingling in the lunchroom, and Levi guessed it was recess or something because the majority seemed to be outside. 

Crossing into a hallway adjacent to the previous, Levi found the washrooms ahead and was about to walk back when a vague noise reverberated through the silent hallway. He paused for a moment before walking down the hallway again, the clicking of his shoes against the floor almost covering up a series of coughs. 

He rounded the open entrance and stepped inside, instantly noticing a hunched figure on the ground as he got closer. Another cough, choked and weak and Levi saw the boy's shoulder's shake with the noise, who was currently curled around himself, head buried between his arms. The clacking went silent when he was directly standing in front of the boy. Then Levi glanced at the unmistakable tousle of chestnut brown hair, realizing it was Eren.

The brunet finally seemed to notice someone else's presence, and he slowly gazed up at the Lieutenant. Turquoise eyes blew up in surprise at the sight, because it was him. He really came.

Levi's brows furrowed in his own surprise at the brat's state, cheeks blooming with bruises and bottom lip bleeding. Eren registered the look on the other's face and ducked his head with mixed feelings of shame and distress, wiping at the dripping blood with the back of his hand and braced himself for a mocking laugh.

Instead of that, the man crouched down to the boy's level, gently removing Eren's hand from his face and giving his injuries a once over with his eyes. Something unpleasant flashed in grey-blue eyes as he got up again, extending a hand to the boy on the ground."Let's get you to the nurse's office."

Eren declined the offered hand, muscles straining in an attempt to lift himself off the ground. "I'm-I'm fine." he said weakly, before he collapsed back on the ground in a coughing fit.

Levi's eyes widened, because the brat absolutely wasn't fine, judging by the amount of blood he just coughed out onto his hand. As gently yet as quickly as possible, he hooked an arm underneath the boy's knees and used the other to support his back as he hoisted him off the ground and sped out and down the hallway.

Eren was coughing so much blood and shitshitshitshit- Levi didn't want a child to die in his arms.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been writing and re-writing this chapter for the past two days, and I'm still iffy about it. but Yoloooo

Fuck the nurse's office. The kid was practically hurling his bloody insides out, and Levi was frustrated - because why was he so frustrated, wasn't this a common sight in his line of work? How many have died gruesomely before his eyes and now, after all these years he was panicking. Maybe because it was a child- god it was only a child, that probably got his ribs crunched onto his inner organs, and it was all Levi's fault because if he'd acted sooner-

 

Everything passed by in chaos and in a blur after he finally stepped foot into the glass roofed lobby, firstly the fact that the suspected supervisor had left the center without being noticed, secondly the security, the idiotic security which didn't let Eren pass through until Levi threatened to arrest them, and finally out in the mess of a parking lot.

"Hanji-where the hell is Hanji?" Levi snapped, stopping dead in his tracks and turning to the group of officers behind him. A brunette with a messy ponytail was pattering down the front steps in a distance, quickly rushing to the Lieutenant's side.

"Sir, I still think we should call for an ambula-" One of the officers repeated for the billionth time that hour.

"No, For the last time, internal hemorrhage can only be treated in the hospital, and is a matter of time. Waiting for an ambulance is a waste of life since they can't do anything useful to him. Hanji! Get in the car and do something, he can't breathe."

Hanji nodded and took the frail boy from him, Levi finally noticing the strain in his arms but ignoring it further. Then he irritably addressed the cops who were pretty much all doing something of their own, all professionalism ceasing to exit.

"What on earth do you think you're all doing?!" The superior man reprimanded."Get back and report. Zacharius, you're coming with us." 

"Yes sir." Mike instantly followed, taking the passenger seat while Levi sat behind the wheel. He wasted no time in jerking the car out of it's park, Hanji protesting from the back. The sirens blared as soon as they hit the streets, and a generally consistent path was made for them on the street.

Eren's weak and thick coughs still hadn't stopped, and his breathing was becoming noticeably more shallow.

Levi threw a glance at them in the rear view mirror, and narrowed his eyes at Hanji's lost expression. She was the most medically experienced out of them, after all.

"Give him CPR or something." Levi snapped when she still remained inactive.

"I-I can't! That'll just force the blood back down and make him choke, and his ribs are probably broken." Her panicked tone was accompanied by a sharp cough from Eren."I'm suspecting they've punctured either his lungs or stomach, which is why he's bleeding. It's...his condition isn't promising."

Levi's jaw locked tightly at that. Unfortunately,he was right.

Hanji was surprised when she felt cold fingers touch her hand, and she glanced at the boy beside her, being met with crestfallen turquoise eyes. "I-I don't want to die here." he rasped out, eyes suddenly glazing over.

"Sweetie, you'll be okay." Hanji instantly replied. She threw a glance in the rear view mirror, a sharp pang tugging at her heart. Levi averted his gaze, knuckles whitening from his grip on the wheel.

"I...I want to see Armin a-and Mikasa...I-" the brunet implored before another sharp cough cut him off, hunching his shoulders.

Hanji's lips thinned for a moment, reflecting on their not so rational choice."We should've called an ambulance." She finally confirmed. 

 

***************************************************************

 

They were finally at the hospital, and Eren was promptly rushed into the emergency ward. Hanji followed along with Levi,and Mike was contacting Erwin.

By the time Hanji gave the doctor a general idea of Eren's condition, the nurses had the injured boy in hospital garments and had hooked up to all the necessary IV's, fluids, and monitors. 

The lieutenant was standing by the hospital bed with a look of contemplation, when his sleeve was weakly tugged and he was brought out of his jumble of thoughts. He regarded Eren, who was staring up at him with that same glassy-eyed expression.

"I don't wanna go in there alone." 

Levi never was good with words anyway, but he tried nonetheless."Why?"

"I'm scared." Eren's lips pressed together firmly after saying that, as if it hurt to admit it.

The raven sighed at that, sweeping his bangs out of his face, then arms crossing by habit. "You know, for a brat, you're really strong. Not many people can remain emotionally intact under the pressure that you were put under."

"How do you know I'm not broken?" Dulling green eyes swept to the side.

"You're human. Often fragile creatures like us break more than not. But what changes that is your will to fight, and I'm sure you could. So, stay strong." Levi clasped his hand around the small, cool one, giving it a comforting squeeze, eyes filled with genuine empathy.

The brunette gazed up at the older man for a moment, before his lips broke into a faint smile, and even fainter words of' thank you.' 

As if cued, a nurse grabbed Eren's other arm and prepared to inject him with sedatives, and right after the vial was empty covered his nose and lips with an oxygen mask. The sedatives instantly worked, as Eren's eyes began drooping and his fingers in Levi's began to go lax. 

Levi pulled away from his side when the doctors and nurses came in fully dressed for the surgery, and silently exited the sterile smelling room. Hanji sat waiting for him just outside, getting up as soon as he met her line of sight.

"You should go take a rest, you look exhausted." She suggested after taking in his position.

Levi waved it off with a flick of his rest. "I can't. Fucking Nile Dawk is still running around freely."

Hanji sighed, blowing a few strands of hair away from her face in the process."Levi, you can't capture him over night. And besides, you'll have to wait for the boy to wake up and give us real evidence. It still isn't confirmed."

Levi shrugged at that, honestly too fucking tired to talk about it.

"Let's go get changed and shit- Eren's not waking up after the surgery for at least four hours." He let her grab his arm and drag him across the hallway defeatedly, wincing when he took in his blood drenched shirt."I look like a serial killer right now, not a cop. Just thinking of showering right now never felt better."

Hanji rolled her eyes at that."That's what you said the last five thousandth time you got a spec of blood on your shirt."


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a little info on Eren's back story :/

It beeped shrilly, grated against his ears and pounded against his forehead, like his brain was on the verge of exploding. It was a feeling he'd never before experienced, and it was so confusing and painful that he squinted his eyes shut and tried to go back into whatever haven of comatose he was in earlier. But he couldn't, and to his relief the wild beeping gradually began reducing into a normal noise in time, although still putting him on edge.

"You awake, dear?" Eren's throat constricted. It was a gentle, feminine voice that hit too close to home, sounded too much like his mother, and consisted too much of what he mostly lacked. And for a moment he kept his eyes shut and tried to pretend that it was, even if it was only for a small amount of time.

He felt fingers and wires brush against his arm as the Nurse probably changed his IV bag, and finally gave in and slowly opened his eyes. A dark haired woman was hovering over him, looking concentrated as she flicked the IV wires to make the fluid ran down. When she glanced his way she smiled at first, before her expression went neutral again. "Why are you crying? Are you in pain anywhere?"

Crying? The brunet hadn't realized this until she pointed it out, and he tried blinking his tears away. Then he nodded at her question, because it did hurt, it hurt a lot. Her pale lips thinned into a smile again."I'll get you some morphine." Drugs couldn't soothe the kind of hurt he meant. But he just nodded again before she  disappeared from his line of vision, as the oxygen mask inabled him from verbal communication.

Soon she was back with a syringe of morphine, and Eren was relieved to see it injected in the IV itself, and not his veins. "Your breathing has recently stabilized, so I think you should be fine without the oxygen mask. I'll take it off and you tell me if it's hard to breath, okay? Just make sure you inhale and exhale deeply."

Eren inclined his chin in understanding, and the tight mask was slowly removed just a small amount away from his face. He tested out his breathing, sucking in a breath and finding his throat and mouth excessively dry. After a few more intakes of air, he confirmed his stability of breathing.

He asked for water as the thirst began to kick in from all his blood loss, and the cool liquid was incredibly refreshing, also making his speech easier.

Then he spent the next few hours trying to do something productive other than eating, like getting out of bed, but even tilting his head to the side quickly made his mind rush with dizziness and a wave of nausea to hit over him, so he finally succumbed to his weak state and tried to get some sleep. It came easily.

Levi was standing in the doorway of his room when he woke up again, conversing with the doctor.

Eren paled. The lieutenant's presence meant one thing; and that was explicating the incident. Shit, he absolutely had no guts to go through it again.

The doctor soon left and Levi closed the door and headed over to Eren's side, gazing at the clipboard in his hand at first. He looked up with his default indifferent expression, taking in the condition of the brunet before him. "I'm going to have to ask you a few questions, and I can't give you the choice of delaying it due to the need of urgent investigation. Would the Nurse's presence make you feel more comfortable?" Levi questioned as he seated himself in a chair beside the bed, crossing one leg over the other.

The younger nervously twiddled his fingers together in his half-seated position, swallowing thickly before giving him his quiet reply."No."

"Alright." Levi exhaled deeply as he took one more glance at the clipboard before diverting his attention to Eren.

"How did you get injured?"

Eren couldn't bring himself to look up, eyes trained on his lap as he muttered his reply."The supervisor hit me."

Outwardly, Levi seemed professional and completely unaffected, but irritation gnawed on him on the inside."Which one?"

"Nile Dawk." The name left a bitter taste on his tongue.

"Is it something consistent?" Levi crossed his arms as well.

"He...he's been doing it ever since I came into the Detention center." Eren's jaw felt like a feather, numb with the unablity to express his inner disturbance, and it took some effort to get the words out.

The lieutenant was reluctant to ask the next question, as it was too triggering but he didn't have another choice. "How far does he go?"

"This time was the worst. It's only physical. It's like he's psychotic, you know? Quiet as he does it but...eyes giving away his satisfaction."

"You said this started when you first came into the Juvy. When was that?"

"When I was nine." Levi quirked a thin brow."What did you do?"

"I killed two people." Eren replied, voice showing not even a hint of remorse. The raven paused at that, attentively staring at the boy for a long moment as he absorbed this in. He was honestly caught off guard."So you have some criminal tendency of your own,then." The remark wasn't given much thought.

Eren seemed genuinely hurt by that. He glanced at Levi for the first time that hour, firmly shooting back,"I was defending my friend."

Gunmetal blue studied him for a moment, an unreadable glint in them. A few seconds went by silently, the tap tap tap of polished black shoes against the floor seeming unusually loud. Then Levi stood up and set the clip board down on the table before turning to Eren again. "That should be enough. Thank you." He strode over to the door and before his fingers curled around the door knob, Eren had called at him to wait. He threw a questioning glance over his shoulder and the younger insecurely asked,"Do you actually think that...that it's something in my nature? Crime, I mean." Levi gave him a 'who knows' expression, shrugging one shoulder as he answered. "I'm in no position to talk."

Eren spent the rest of his day mulling over what that could possibly mean.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In a chapter or two there's probably gonna be a time lapse.
> 
> I apologize for the shitty update.

Levi was bound to his office the next day, having set his mind to know every detail he could find out about Nile Dawk. It kinda sucked to waste such good spring weather, though, as he much preferred to be productive out doors. He opened the windows to let the cool breeze circulate around the stuffy office. It was quiet, minus the click of the laptop keyboard and the occasional rustling of paper and the blinds, and Levi valued this peace.

But of course, there's always someone courteous enough to barge in uninvited, radiating cheerfulness and energy that contrasted the raven's mood immensely.

"Good day, Lieutenant!" Hanji said with a grin as she balanced the tray in her hands while elbowing the door closed.

Levi graced her with a small nod. She pattered into the office and plopped into the armchair across the couch, setting the tray down on the coffee table."I made you some tea. Well, Petra did,but whatever-since you're too cheap to get Starbucks."

His eyes stayed glued to the screen as he answered her."Actually,no, my tea is more expensive, special blend and all. Also Starbuck's tastes like shit."

The brunette's lips quirked into a small smile at that. She then removed her glasses and wiped at a spot that's been bothering her since morning.

Levi reached for his tea and the cup stopped just before his lips, eyebrows drawing down and eyes narrowing at the screen."Military ex-Sergeant?" He mumbled to himself.

Hanji looked up and 'hm'ed in question.

"Nile dawk. He was in the Military."

"No way."

"Way." Levi shut his laptop and put it aside, then swung his legs off of the armrest and strode to his desk.

"Levi, I swear if you talk about arresting him again-" Hanji began but was instantly cut off.

"What do you want me to say,then?" He opened a drawer, pulled out his gun and placed it in it's holster, before grabbing his phone and slipping it in it's pocket."Dawk is a fucking scumbag that needs to taste some of his own medicine. And I will gladly shove it down his throat."

Hanji giggled, making a 'that's what she said' remark and Levi told her to grow the fuck up and go die in a hole. What a contradicting statement.

"You can't really die in a hole without some other fatal circumstance." Hanji chose to use her unappreciated logic then.

"You talk like Erwin." A cap with the wings of freedom emblem was tossed over raven locks."I'm gonna go kick ass."

"Are you suddenly caring?" Hanji drawled as Levi grabbed his tea and made his way to the door. "I know you have a soft spot for adorable kiddies."

"Don't burn down the office." The master of aversion grumbled before strolling out.

***************************************************************

Levi didn't think that it would be this easy, or that Nile was dumb enough to return to the Juvy. He'd just hopped out of the car and was making his way across the parking lot when his eye caught another figure in the distance approaching the gates. He stopped and squinted at the person, who was definitely Dawk, but he still hadn't noticed him yet.

Nile glanced up and instantly locked eyes with the raven. Then he halted quickly, eyes widening in fright. He tried regaining composure and nodded at Levi before continuing on his way, and Levi speed walked over to him.

The brunet then promptly turned on his heel and sped in the direction he was coming from, and the Lieutenant broke into a run after him. 

Dawk didn't even stand a chance, as Levi was known for his light weight agility and speed, despite his stature. He had the man splayed across the concrete face-first in an instant.

"You're under arrest." He said between breathes, that small sentence holding so much more venom than possible. Although he had Nile's arms forcefully gripped, the man struggled roughly and was able to shove Levi off.

That's all Levi needed. He knew it was more of an excuse to let out his building anger on this case, but he still went along with it and in a second had Nile back on the ground. 

One collision of his fist to the other's jaw almost knocked him out, and he regretted it because he needed him to say conscience long enough to clearly feel every second of this.

***************************************************************

"Oh shit, I didn't think you actually meant it when you said you were going to kick ass." Hanji fretted, although inwardly amused and relieved.

Levi ignored the comment."Tell Erwin about it when he gets back, I have to go somewhere."

"To the hospital maybe?" 

"Yes,to the hospital, got a problem?" Levi irritably responded.

Hanji shrugged."Naw. Too bad you're gonna get all the hero worship."

"The well deserved hero worship." Levi flippantly corrected.

***************************************************************

As expected, Eren was in cloud nine at hearing the news. Levi didn't stick around much, after telling the brat what happened and rejecting a plead for an autograph, he headed back down to the station. He was anticipating something shitty from the Captain about beating up Dawk, but he honestly wasn't remorseful one bit, nor did he give a damn. It was just the headache that was going to piss him off.

He was called for into Erwin's office almost immediately.

He strolled in and eased into the chair on the other side of Erwin's desk, before asking what the hell he wanted.

"I'm sure you know why I called you here." The blond said as he averted his attention from the papers on his desk to the raven.

Levi didn't like Erwin's accusing tone at all.

"You took an unnecessary and uncalled for measure, Levi. Just...completely unnecessary."

Levi shrugged a shoulder nonchalantly."He fought back. I had the right to put him in his place."

"Putting him in his place doesn't mean beating him half to death. Do you know that he could use this against you, if it weren't for the excuse of him struggling?"

Nope. He didn't like it one fucking bit."Don't use that reprimanding tone on me, Erwin."

"You haven't acted like this in a long time, Levi." His voice was almost laced with disappointment now, and the raven crossed his arms and looked away.

After a long stretch of silence,the captain continued. "It seems that this Eren Jaeger is spurring emotions out of you, and letting emotions guide actions in our line of work is a severe problem. Therefore I'm going to have to ask you to dissociate with Eren's case and the juvy in general."

Levi paused at that, a scowl quickly dawning on his features. Without retorting, he got up and silently left the office, getting fed up with this man's bullshit. As much as he crossed lines with Erwin, there were always limitations and this was a line he couldn't cross.

Hanji instantly noticed Levi's mood when she saw him."Eren's getting discharged from the hospital in an hour or two, so we're gonna go take him back to the Juvenile center, by the way. Why's my whittle wevy wook so sad?"

She tried pinching his cheek but he swatted her hand away."You're escorting the brat, are you? Then slip this in his pocket or something." He pulled out a folded piece of paper and Hanji blinked at it once before grinning knowingly at Levi.

"Oooh, what's this?"

"None of your business, obviously."

Hanji continued to stare at him in a maniac fashion before she finally tucked it into her breast pocket.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I just piled a bunch of info on the first part just to get it out of the way. Wow, and the time lapse *cries*

Eren opened his eyes when he heard the bunk above him creak, and even in the dark could make out the figure of his best friend padding down the side. He reached the bottom bunk and sat down beside Eren, said boy rising as well to make more room for him.

"Can't sleep?" The brunet inquired.

"I just have something on my mind. Well, you."

Armin glimpsed a glint of white teeth and pinched Eren's arm since smacking him would make too much noise. "Not in that kind of way." He whispered harshly, yet still in amusement."Anyway, you've seemed bothered ever since you came back earlier today. Is something wrong? Because I'm pretty sure you're supposed to be happy right now, with Nile in prison."

"Of course I'm happy about that."

"Then what's wrong?"

"I don't know...maybe because I don't get to see them anymore? I mean Hanji and all of them, since everything's done."

"All of them." Armin mimicked suggestively, and Eren inwardly grumbled. That guy knew him too well."You've grown attached to the Lieutenant."

Fortunately it was dark, because Armin wouldn't have let him live it down if he saw his face heat up."Well yeah." Eren mumbled."He saved my life, treated me with respect, got the living shit beat out Nile before arresting him, and he's just...I don't think I've admired any adult as much as him before." 

"He's kind of scary, to be honest. I talked to him once and he just seems so cold."

"Oh shit Armin, and here I thought you were a great judge of character."

"Well yours, yes. But anyway, I'm sure you'll see them at least a couple of times more, in court. He did witness a lot, after all."

Eren went quiet for a second, but then instantly animated again."I almost forgot. Hanji gave me this piece of paper and I don't think it's in English." He reach into his pocket, rustled in their for a second before placing it in Armin's hand.

"I asked Levi for his signature-shut up about it-and part of this is a signature that definitely does not say Levi."

"Who's Levi?"

The brunet blinked for a second. "The Lieutenant."

"Oh." Armin said with a laugh.He unfolded the piece of paper and stared down at it for a second, before lifting his head up."How do you expect me to read it in this dark?"

A moment later a small laser light was placed in his hand. 

"This is part pocket knife." Armin whispered in disbelief."How the hell do you still have this?"

"Shhh, dammit. Secrets of the trade."

The blond silently complied, glanced down at the paper again and shone the small beam of light on it. After a minute or so he came to a conclusion.

"It's in French. The signature says something along the lines of 'Rivaille', also a rare but still French name."

"Do you know french?"

"Not fluently, but I know some." after gazing at the paper for a little more, he pronounced the text."Soyez un bon gosse."

"What?"

"Um...bon is good. So, be a good...gosse? I know it, just give me a second. Gosse...oh, kid, or whatever. Be a good kid."

"Brat? Because he seems used to calling me that." Eren offered.

"It could come in that context. So it's the Lieutenant?"

"I guess. If his actual name is Rivaille, then Levi's his nickname. And he's french. Can't believe I learned that all from one note."

"You're such a creepy fanboy,you know that?" Armin threw in fondly.

"No, Armin. This is like...inspiration and shit. It can take me to great places."

Did he just hear that right? Eren said something positive about his future. 

"So you're gonna join the Police?"

"I want to."

"Your mother would be proud." Armin said softly. He didn't need to see him in order to know that his tears were dropping on his lap."Goodnight,Eren."

"Night."

***************************************************************

\- Four year time lapse-

 

The three of them stood on the top step, Armin, Eren and Mikasa respectively, gazing at the wired fence in the distance as they did so many times before, but this time in a completely different light.

The sky didn't brighten up for them. The wind blew, thunder rumbled in the distance and Eren shivered, not from the cold but of a restrained heart finally tasting freedom again, and also the fear of what was to come in the future.

But right now, only one thing mattered, and they had to hasten, Eren thought as his lips pulled back into a grin.

"We're going home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um, hopefully I'll go deeper into Mikasa's character soon. And yayyyyy I'm so excited for the next chapter! Like, the only plot I tried doing.


	7. Chapter 7

Eight years is a long time. Because Carla was sick, she was confined to bed and as a result Eren and Mikasa could only write to her or give her a phone call every now and then. They hadn't seen their mother once in all that time.

Eren's trembling fingers lingered on the doorbell for a moment before he could finally press on it. Not long after he rung, the sound of footsteps drew near and Eren found himself grasping Mikasa's hand for support. She gave him a reassuring squeeze.

Turquoise eyes eagerly awaited as the door was swung open, before his brows furrowed and he stopped dead in his tracks. A middle aged women stood before them, one that was definitely not his mother as she gave them a questioning and rather cold look."How can I help you?" She asked when neither spoke.

"Isn't this the residence of Carla Jaeger?" Mikasa replied with a leveled voice.

The women shook her head."I'm afraid not. Good day."

The brunet instinctively flinched when the door slammed shut. He quietly gazed at the aged door before him, one that was the entrance of many warm days now closing in their faces.

"Eren." Mikasa said softly when he remained unmoving, hand still entwined with her brother's.

"She's not here, Mikasa. What does that mean?" His voice was laced with dread.

The raven haired girl sighed."Let's see if Hannes is still here, I'm sure he'll know something."

Eren silently complied and they walked a few doors down to the also familiar house. This time a more pleasant sight met them when the door opened.

Eren grinned back at the man who was looking between the two with a look of disbelief.

"It's you little kids! Christ!" Hannes cried after another moment, wasting no time in grabbing both into a hug."How come we didn't know abut this?"

"We?"

"Your mother and I, I mean. Ah, You must've been looking for her. She lives with me now."

"I was expecting worse, shit. That's great." Eren sighed with relief as he pulled away from the man, quickly making his way through the house. He went into the spare room that wasn't Hannes's and sure enough, his mother lay asleep in the one bed across the room.

At some point, he thought he could collect himself enough to pull his act together and not bawl his eyes out, but here he was, tears already spilling even before he'd talked to her. He stumbled over to the bed and knelt down beside it.

"Mom." He felt bad for disturbing her sleep, but that could wait now.

Carla stirred a little at that, blinking blearily awake.

"Eren dear." She instantly whispered, as if the prospect was nothing unexpected.

Said boy buried his face in her hand, weak with overwhelming emotions."I'm home, mom. I'm home."

***************************************************************

Mikasa severely refused the idea of Eren joining the Police. Carla, however, seemed to completely encourage him and so did Armin. Mikasa had no other choice but to cave in and let it happen, but of course not without her presence. Eren had also convinced Armin to join too, so she must hover over her boys and protect them.

After investigating about applying and whatnot, they found that graduation from the academy depended on the individual's progress, and the earliest age of graduation was nineteen. That worked well with their circumstances and they were all training in no time. To their surprise, most of their group of friends from the juvenile center were also in training. Whether or not they would be accepted to join the force in the end with their criminal record still wasn't confirmed. But they would work hard to prove said record otherwise, and with a waiver would probably be accepted.

***************************************************************

Levi was moodily striding back to his office with a fresh stack of paperwork when Hanji bombed him out of nowhere. 

Without even giving her a glance, he shoved her out of his away. "Goddamn shitty glasses."

"Levi, quit pmsing. Smith wants you~"

"You and Smith will be the death of me." The raven muttered under his breath before turning on his heel and heading to said man's office. Hanji bounced behind him, and Levi scowled because she had that maniac look again. And whatever she had that maniac look it meant shit was about to hit the fan.

He strolled into the man's office mechanically like he always would, making himself comfortable and giving the Captain a look that told him to spill. Hanji leaned against the desk and fixedly watched Levi with the same expression.

"So, I got some big job to put you on for the next-well, you'll be having it for a while. Not exactly something you’re familiar with."

Levi gave him an uncommitted"Shocker.”

“You will be soon.” The blond said with a small curve of his lips, and Levi narrowed his eyes.“What?”

“Nothing at all. As I was saying, this isn't necessarily a requirement in your field, but every officer has had to do this at least once.”

“I get it. What’s the job?”

Erwin only smirks like that when he’s up to something. Hanji, same thing. 

“So you’re suddenly conspiring against me, huh?”

Erwin pretended to wave it off. “You’re over thinking it. Listen, we’ve got a huge wave of recruits coming in this month, a lot more than we usually do. You’ll assist in training and more complex techniques, and you’ll only get a small number at a time.”

“I hate you.”

“Levi, I know this isn't your cup of tea, but-”

“No. I hate you.”

The blond gave a small chuckle at that.”I assume that’s a yes with no other choice?”

Levi just sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger.

“He’ll do great.” Hanji threw in.

“Don’t need your feather ruffling.”

***************************************************************

“Hanji. Get your ass over here.” Levi glanced over his shoulder at said woman, and god knew what the hell she was doing over the desk.

“Just a minute, sheesh! Go on ahead of me and I’ll follow.”

“No.” That was his preferred response to most things lately. They were just about to go and have their first training session with the recruits, which they hadn’t met either, and Hanji,(unfortunately his assistant) still won’t get her ass moving.

She finally jumped up and trotted to his side, talking his ear off about her opportunities in observing these recruits and yada yada as they made their way out of the building and onto training grounds. This was the lieutenant's first time doing this kind of thing, and he wasn’t nervous or anything, just absolutely unwilling to suffer. That’s why he didn't pick a teaching career, because honestly he’d rather be a janitor. At least then he could put his passion to use.

The grounds were filled to the brim with different groups with a trainer or two, and hell Erwin wasn’t kidding when he said they’d gotten a shitload of brats. They got to their section and the recruits bristled and hasted into their saluting positions as soon as they’d walked passed them and to the front.

Levi took a moment to skim over his group with a glance, and to his relief found only seven of them. They were all fob looking nineteen to twenty year olds, all standing in an air of self satisfaction and nerves.

‘Wait till I wipe the floors with you.’ He thought to himself.

He found his eyes going back to a certain recruit who seemed to have been fixing him with a look mixed with recognition and awe. Tousled, thick brown hair and unique Caribbean eyes, and a still developing jaw. Very oddly familiar. 

He waved the notion off and waited while Hanji introduced them, then began giving his brief introduction. “Alright, listen up because I won’t be repeating myself. It gets a hundred times more serious here, so if you’ve come with a hollow resolve, I suggest you think twice before you endanger others. You won’t be evaluated based on skill, but on your effort, as shitty work ethics won’t be tolerated. Remember that there still is the possibility of eliminating and returning you to Shadis. I have high standards, so be prepared.”

Now they all either had smug ‘i’ll show you’ or ‘what the hell did I get into’ expressions.

“Today we’ll do an evaluation of your current level. If you look to your right, you will see something similar to an obstacle course of targets, hand to hand combat and such. Now,

“Show me what you all got.”


	8. Chapter 8

Mikasa tugged on her brother's sleeve, who was currently making an idiot of himself staring at the trainer."Eren." She said quietly but with emphasis.

His head snapped towards her."What?"

"Everyone's already started, what are you doing just ogling him like that?"

Heat rose to the boys cheeks."I'm not ogling him!" He stammered indignantly. Fortunately the man had his back to them, busy looking over some papers with his assistant. Armin jogged back to them when he saw they were still unmoving."Come on you guys, before we get yelled at."

Eren pulled his hand out of Mikasa's grip and walked ahead, and the two others followed. 

Most of the other recruits were either sparring or practicing shooting, others doing stretches. The trio opted for shooting drills, and took their spots in front of targets. Honestly, Eren hadn't expected to see him so soon.He was just a kid once,labelled with crime from head to toe and the Lieutenant the most respectable, and now he was striving to be his equal. His mind was roaming into discouraging territory, and it was doing a number on him physically because he couldn't even aim the gun properly.

The brunet pulled the trigger and shot. And completely missed the target.

Mikasa lowered her gun and threw a contemplative look in the boy's direction. The other avoided her gaze and reloaded the semi automatic, drawing in a breath and getting into position.Ready, Aim.

And miss again.

"Eren..."

"I'm fine." His knuckles turned white from his grip on the handle, and he carded a hand through his hair in frustration.

Armin leaned in close to say,"They're going around checking, Eren. Get your game up."

Said brunet pressed his lips together and looked around, and found both Levi and Hanji speculating a sparring two behind them.

Shit, Eren thought as he lifted his gun once more. He had to focus, at least get it anywhere inside the target rather than completely flunking it. But he went all mortified again when he heard the crunching of boots behind him draw near, and his third attempt again went in vain.

Shooting was his best skill. And he couldn't even shoot.

A sound of frustration escaped his lips and he was just about ready to fling the gun across the field, if not for a certain deep voice that rooted him in place."You're holding the gun completely wrong."

Eren didn't need look behind him to know it was the Lieutenant.

"Aim again."

He did as he was told, to get an instant tongue click of disapproval."Why are you shaking? Are you new to this?"

Even though it was unreasonable, he felt suddenly crestfallen at the unfamiliar tone Levi was using. He wasn't expecting him to remember all of a sudden, there wasn't any significant aspect about him that would make him do so, but it still hurt more than it should.

"No." Eren answered after a moment, absentmindedly rubbing at the back of his neck.

He thought the man might make some sort of complaint, but found him oddly silent as he tried walking him through it.

"Alright. First, hand positions." Eren almost squeaked when he felt hands wrap around his own and bring them up again. Shit,no, please no, he might shoot someone by accident like this. From his peripheral vision, he saw Armin with an amused expression while Mikasa of one irked greatly.

"Your dominant hand is what grips the handle, the other cups the bottom of your hand and the handle." Levi was guiding Eren's hands along with the explanation, and because of his position, it felt almost like a backwards hug. And it didn't help either that he seemed to be talking straight against his ear.

The man paused his instructions for a second to criticize the boy."You need to stop shaking. I understand this is your first time here and it's intimidating, but pull it together."

'How the fuck do you expect me to do that with you being all... ughhhh' Eren inwardly grumbled, flushing even more. But he tried to calm down anyway, muscles going rigid with strain.

"Aim." The gun was positioned perfectly on the middle of the target.

"And shoot." Straight on bulls eye.

His hands were released and the body pressed against him distanced away. Eren tried refraining from instantly going limp, momentarily placing his gun in it's holster to stretch his fingers.

"Now do it on your own." Levi ordered, and Eren did as he was told. He was a mess, to say the least, but he wasn't going to look pathetic in front of the other again. Having set his mind on this resolve, he started into position again looking a little more steady. Inhale, exhale.

Strive for a bulls eye. He pulled the trigger, and as the loud noise rung through the air he put his gun down.

It exactly bordered the edge of the bulls eye and the white ring around it, and Eren grinned with relief, for the first time looking the Lieutenant in the eye. 

Said man gave a small nod of approval, but Eren knew that meant he'd done more than just good enough.

"Keep practicing." Levi added as he brushed passed him. Hanji gave him a thumbs a up and a genial "Good job Eren!" Before tagging behind the raven.

The brunet turned back to find Mikasa giving him that narrow eyed motherly look."We'll talk about this chibi later." She said in that ominous leveled voice of hers before turning to her target.

Eren paused a little. "You mean the Lieutenant?"

"Evil chibi lieutenant."

 

***************************************************************

 

When they finished their trek around the recruits and had fallen back to watch from the sidelines, Levi asked about what's been gnawing at him since the beginning."You know that brat who can't hold a gun? He's kind of familiar. And I know you know him, so, who is he?"

Hanji gave him a sympathetic smile and a pat on the shoulder."You're getting old, Levi."

Levi shoved her hand away."You're older than me, dipshit."

"Shows your bad memory."

"Fuck you."

"Anyway, you dealt alot with him before. He had a case of abuse with Nile Dawk in the Juvy."

Levi paused for a second in thought before it all came back to him."That one. Makes sense, for some reason." He threw a glance in Eren's direction, who was currently getting his ass handed to him by his sister.

"Yeah, he remembers you. You should've seen the look on his face when you were teaching him hands on, quite literally." She giggled a little.

"It's good to see he takes advice."


	9. Chapter 9

"Levi sir!" Instantly followed the whipping of the Lieutenant's door open, and said man glanced up from his desk to be met with a sight of a recruit by the name of Marco rushing in, who wasn't even in his division.

 "What is it?" He didn't reprimand the boy from barging in so quickly, what with his panicked tone and agitated eyes.

 The brunet took a moment to breath, before answering in a hurried voice."Two of your trainees have turned a sparring match into a serious fist fight, and we couldn't break them up. Even Sergeant Hanji couldn't get them to stop. Please hurry, I think they might listen to you."

 Levi cursed under his breath as he got up, firstly Erwin for getting him into this shit, and then Hanji, who he had left for fifteen fucking minutes to supervise, and she couldn't even do that properly.

 He strode out of his office with a grave expression, Marco following quickly behind as they exited the building and headed into the training grounds.

 Sure enough, there was a whole circle of spectators gathered around what Levi assumed was the fight, and they promptly stepped back to give the Lieutenant a path.

 "That's enough." He barked at the two on the ground, who were at each other's throats. He identified Jaeger and that Kirschtien kid instantly.

 They did as they were told, although it seemed to take them a lot of self control. Eren was practically twitching with rage as he got up and uselessly dusted his pants.

 "Bodt, can you patch him up?" Levi asked, gesturing towards the two toned brunet he was helping up.

 "Yes,sir."

 "Alright. Bring him to my office when you're done." Jean's expression went rigid with annoyance at the intentional tone Levi was using, as if he were talking about a child.

 "Everyone else get back to training. And you," The raven turned around and gave Eren's collar a pointed tug before striding ahead of him."Are coming with me."

 Eren made a noise mixed between a choke and a horrified grunt, before the sound of his boots followed.

 Their walk back inside was quiet, and Levi couldn't help but wonder about Eren's tendencies. Like anyone else, he feared Levi, but not in the same sense of he's-here-I'm-scared-shitless, but it was fear of disappointing. He'd only done his job those few years back, he honestly wasn't expecting it to have this kind of affect on Eren. It told him a lot about the kid's levels of loyalty, and he couldn't help but feel somehow privileged.

 But of course, he wasn't one to pick favorites. Which is why he didn't try to make Eren's life easier. He ordered him to sit on the couch as soon as they had entered his office, grabbing a first aid kit because he wasn't cruel enough to let the brat bleed while he ranted about how pissed he was.

 Eren had his arms folded against his chest almost in a protective manner, and Levi noticed that something was off with him all of a sudden as he approached, and he studied his body language as he pulled a chair in front of him and took a seat.

 "Take your shirt off." He ordered nonchalantly, to which Eren almost did a triple take.

 "W-what?!" His face instantly began heating up, twisting in confusion.

 "I said,"The raven replied with emphasized delay."Take your shirt off. Your injuries aren't all in the open."

 Eren paused, as if reconsidering what he just assumed, lips forming an 'o' of understanding. Levi just gave Eren a look that told him to get his head out of the gutter, to which the brunet's entire face, ears and neck burned.

 He dipped his head for a second, fingers nervously playing at the hem of his shirt before he finally grabbed it with both hands and pulled it over his head. If he blushed any further, he would probably combust.

 The first thing Levi noticed wasn't the bruises, but the old scar running from beneath his collarbones to the bottom of his chest. Suddenly it wasn't the nineteen year old who was past puberty sitting in front of him, but the frail boy with mussy hair and giving away eyes coughing and wheezing in his arms, and then the small handing grasping his own like a lifeline, eyes glassy, imploring and afraid.

 Levi wasn't sure if there was anyone he'd admit he genuinely respected other than Erwin, but Eren definitely was slowly getting there, with what he'd endured. And he wasn't boosting the brat's ego by admitting this to him.

 When Levi took this moment to be silent, Eren almost subconsciously touched his scar."You remember that time, right?"

 Levi hummed his affirmation, and a small smile played at the younger's lips, eyes distantly focused on the floor."I've never tried thanking you for it because...I felt such simple words wouldn't ever be enough to express my gratitude. I know you'll probably tell me to stop being a sap, but you changed my life. I could've died. Or become worse than I already was. I think I still consider you my hero."

 "Yes, you really need to shut up with your mawkishness. You sound really dumb." The Lieutenant busied himself with opening the kit as he said this, tone lacking any real annoyance and with what Eren thought just might be a hint of fondness.

 "But I don't know how to say it in any other way." The brunet grumbled, pressing his hands against the edge of the couch between his legs.

 "Then don't." He looked up, grabbed Eren's chin and tilted his head a couple of times to check it over, before proceeding in cleaning a small cut just above his eyebrow. Eren hissed and flinched away at the sting of alcohol, but Levi tugged him back in place.

 "This is your least punishment. Sit still or I'll kick your ass."

 He obeyed instantly, going rigid and face twisting in pain as Levi mercilessly applied the burning substance to most of his facial wounds.

 When that was done, he moved to his hands, which had acquired a few small scratches and this time he used a cool cream in exchange for the alcohol.

 Someone knocked on the door and Levi gave them permission to enter, Jean slipping in and closing the door behind him. Eren really didn't want Jean to see him being pampered by the Lieutenant like this, and grew more uncomfortable as he noticed his gaze fixed on them. It was a great relief when Levi decided they were done, but then the dread of consequences instantly followed as Jean took a seat beside Eren and Levi sat across from them.

Somehow, it ended quite well, if that word could even be associated with Levi's displeasure. They did have to clean up the entire third floor of the building for a week, which consisted of Levi's office, which was probably the most daunting punishment.

But in Eren's case, it was the utter hella challenge. Clean it up right, better than Jean to be specific, and win a personal medal. And just  _maybe_ to gain the Lieutenant's satisfaction in his work.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more hurt/comfort to come in the next chapter.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren and Levi practically switch positions.(aka sad deja vu crap happens)
> 
> I myself don't understand these two's relationship in this fic, I swear.
> 
> WARNING  
> hormonal crybaby Eren.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Imma sap.

Eren's first real field experience was rushed and unexpected. To him, it was the most exciting prospect, especially since it was alongside the Lieutenant, but Hanji thought otherwise. She still didn't try to stop it from happening, just reminded Levi that it wasn't the greatest idea.

"Are you sure about this? He's not fully prepared." Eren didn't know why she pulled him aside in the first place, he was just within ears reach as he geared up with Mikasa.

"I don't have a choice. Something's gotten into Erwin, maybe this stupid town, because apparently we're so low on cops that we have to bring out our recruits. Ackerman will be with him, though, and I have no doubt with her he'll be fine." Levi said as he skimmed through their case file.

"You keep an eye on him too, okay? I'm not worried about Mikasa at all. He's just- so impulsive and hotheaded, I'm afraid he'll act on his anger."

"Hanji, I got this, alright? You can quit fretting." Giving the straps around his shoulders a final tug with a thumb, he strode out of his office and gestured for the two to follow him out.

"Where are the others?" Mikasa asked once they were out of the office.

"Gunther and Petra are already waiting for us in the parking lot. I'll give you an overview of what you're required to do when we get down there."

Eren's brow creased at that, because from what he was told what they were doing required more than just five. And two recruits at that, making a very ineffective team. He rubbed at the back of his neck worriedly, prepared for the worst but logic for once telling him that throwing themselves straight into action wasn't a very wise choice.

He was right, and he should've known from the Lieutenant's extra stiff and snappy state that it was a practically forced order. And it went horribly wrong. The three convicted criminals were howling with laughter when they ran away. And Levi was left injured severely.

Eren didn't know, he was with Petra at the time and they'd been separated from the rest of the team tactically, or as a final measure, and when they returned to their cars found the other three already in their seats. Gunther glanced at them from the window."Get inside quick. The Lieutenant's injured, and we can't stay here much longer, it's dangerous."

Eren skidded to a stop by Gunther's car, quickly getting into the back, and he barely had enough time to close the door before they were sharply moving out of their parked position.

He took a glance at the Lieutenant and paused mid push through his hair. He was sitting rigidly with his hand pressing against a wound on his side, his hip and entire thigh soaked with blood, pale face and a suppressed twitch of an eyebrow betraying his pain.

"Levi, sir, you're-" Eren cut himself off, realizing he was going to say 'you're hurt' and realized he'd get a snide and wasted remark in return. Almost subconsciously, he scooted over and tried to think of something to do while drumming his fingers against his knee impatiently.

"Um, sir could I-could I take a look?" He bit his lip when Levi's fingers went lax in some sort of means of permission, feeling completely unstable and afraid. Gently, he wrapped his fingers around Levi's wrist and moved his hand to the side, drawing a breath in between his teeth sympathetically. He didn't know why he wasn't handling this like he should, _professionally_ , and the raven noticed as well.

"What's wrong?" His eyes drifted to Eren, words seeming to come out in a struggle."Didn't you-" A wince, teeth clenched firmly together as sweat beaded at his brow."-kill two men with a knife? Or haven't you seen blood before?"

Said brunet felt himself on that verge of uncontrollable sobbing, an urge at the back of his throat and eyes that gave him a proper outlet to his emotions. It was stupid, and maybe Levi would laugh at him, but he just- he  _couldn't._ When it came to people he truly held dear, he was faint hearted and an emotional wreck."They didn't matter." He found himself saying in that same suppressed little voice he told Hanji that he didn't want to die."It hurts to see you like this."

He didn't care, Gunther was probably watching when he bent his head and quietly breathed out a sob, and when his tears hit his knee, he could watch and judge all he wanted. Levi mattered because when Grisha was gone, he filled the gap, when the guards were gone, he filled the gaps, and when someone to die for and know you can be protected by never existed, he also filled the gap.

And to see him bleed, strong in posture and heart, to not draw attention and stay that person you always thought to be invincible, made Eren's heart crumble to bits.

As physically weak Levi was, his hand was sure, grasp strong and comforting around Eren's fingers, and relentless of letting go the entire ride back.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ughhhhhh. sappiness.


End file.
